Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CBO: Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts Would Bring Immediate Savings -- And Future Costs
A Republican bill that would halt federal payments to Planned Parenthood for a year could reduce health care access for about 390,000 people while saving taxpayers about $235 million, Congress’ official authority on the budget said Wednesday. The estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office comes as Republicans are pushing for the cut in the wake of videos that show Planned Parenthood representatives discussing how the group provides fetal tissue for research. (Fram, 9/16)
The House's proposal to defund Planned Parenthood for one year would cut about $235 million in government spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The agency said that about $255 million would be cut from Planned Parenthood in the year after the bill is enacted. But the cuts would likely result in more Medicaid spending down the road — $20 million in the first year and a total of $60 million over the next decade. (Haberkorn, 9/16)
Cutting off Planned Parenthood’s funding would result in a net savings of $235 million over a decade, while also resulting in “several thousand” unplanned births that would drive up government costs elsewhere, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. A bill to freeze the provider’s funding would save $390 million in Medicaid spending over the next year, according to a report from the nonpartisan office. But it would also cost Medicaid about $60 million more because of the additional pregnancies by women who no longer receive birth control. (Ferris, 9/16)